The date was no surprise, as it synced with the unveiling of the fourth-generation iPad and iPad Mini in 2012.

Last year, Apple rolled out new tablets on Tuesday, Oct. 23, kicking off an upswing in sales, particularly of the lower-priced and smaller iPad Mini. That same day in 2013 is Tuesday, Oct. 22, two weeks from yesterday.

AllThingsD cited sources it said were familiar with Apple's plans, adding that the event, like virtually all product debuts by the company, will be invite-only.

Most pundits and analysts expect that the fifth-generation 9.7-in. iPad will be slightly thinner and lighter than its predecessor, boast an improved camera and feature the Apple-designed 64-bit A7 system-on-a-chip (SoC), or a slight variation of the A7 that first appeared in the iPhone 5S last month. 2012's fourth-generation iPad, for instance, relied on the A6X SoC, while the iPhone 5, which led it by only weeks, used the A6.

Although betting types have also wagered that Apple will trot out a second-generation iPad Mini -- one with a Retina-quality display to make it a resolution match for its full-sized sibling -- those rumors have been more muted. Analysts have split, with some believing in an October debut for the new Mini, along with a price reduction of the current model, while others, such as Brian White of Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., have cited Asian sources pointing to a later launch, perhaps in early 2014.

Also on the schedule for the Oct. 22 event, speculated AllThingsD, were OS X Mavericks and the reworked Mac Pro, an unusual cylindrical desktop system. Current Editorials claimed that Apple would introduce refreshed MacBook Pro notebooks and a new Mac Mini.

Mavericks, the successor to 2012's Mountain Lion, will go on sale Oct. 23 if Apple hews to the timing it's used the last two years for desktop operating system upgrades.

Assuming Apple follows its usual practice, it will issue invitations to the iPad launch event on Tuesday, Oct. 15.